"We've got to prepare during the week, and know when he starts scrambling on the back end, we have to stay on the receivers," Lowdermilk said. "Because if we run up, somebody is going to be open, which is something we've learned from in the past."

A sore wrist led to Brown sharing snaps with Terrapins backup Caleb Rowe, who has appeared in four games.

Fortunately for Ferentz and his staff's preparation, Maryland's approach remained mostly the same.

"They're not dramatically different, so in this case, it's not a big deal," Ferentz said. "In some cases, if you had a runner and a thrower, that would be a little different scenario. But both guys run the ball really well, and both of them throw it pretty well."